


Life After Camp

by GeoffsEightGreatestMistakes



Series: home is the place for me and you [1]
Category: Camp Camp (Web Series), Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Foster Family, CC Foster Family AU, david becomes a foster parent, max is his foster child
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-13
Updated: 2016-10-13
Packaged: 2018-08-22 03:44:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8271389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeoffsEightGreatestMistakes/pseuds/GeoffsEightGreatestMistakes
Summary: The day that Camp Campbell closes was inevitable. David is left reeling since he never really left Camp. He was either a camper or a counselor. But now he’s got to figure out what he’s going to do with his life.It takes awhile (a few years), and ends with a foster child.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing CC fics... so let’s hope the characterization turns out okay?
> 
> And this fic was inspired by this [post](http://directium.tumblr.com/post/150179433966/cc-au-where-camp-campbell-does-eventually-get-shut) on tumblr!

On the last day of Camp Campbell’s last summer, David cries. 

He cries every year, to be fair. He cries because he’ll miss his campers. He know that a few might return next year, but most of them won’t. He cries because that means that he’ll have to go about eight months until he’s back for a new summer.

But he cries extra hard on the last day of the last summer. 

The day that that camp would close was inevitable; Cameron Campbell slowly decreased funds and in turn, the conditions became too unsafe that the Department of Health finally shut the place down. It was inevitable, because nobody cared about the place but David- who had wished that maybe one day he could send his kids to Camp Campbell. 

So he cries extra hard because this is the last time he’ll be at camp; which he never really left after aging out of being a camper.

But as David always does, he waits to cry until all of the campers have been loaded onto the buses and sent home. He waits until Gwen leaves. 

David waits until he’s the only one left, besides the Quartermaster, who seems like he’ll stick around, even after the camp closes forever.

He sits in his car, sniffling and quietly sobbing. All of his stuff for the summer is packed away in the trunk; all of the activities and crafts that the kids had done. This is the last time he’ll see Camp Campbell, and he sits in his car, softly crying. 

He leaves after a while, when he’s ran out of tears. He starts his car, and turns out of the dirt clearing that makes up the entrance of the camp. 

He gives the camp one last look in his rearview mirror before he leaves. 

He doesn’t know what’s going to happen to the camp; if Cameron will tear down the buildings and use the land for something else, if he’ll wait a few years before redoing the place and opening it back up to make more money, or if the land will go to some other summer camp. 

He doesn’t know, but as David always does, he tries to look on the positive side. He hopes the land will go to some other camp, so other kids can enjoy the wonders of nature just as much as he did.

With a weak smile, David drives into the city. He has absolutely no clue what he’s going to do, but he knows that he’ll find a job that has to do with making kids happy, because that’s really all he has right now.

 

His life kind of turns into the activities list for Camp Campbell. He’s bouncing all over the place, having all sorts of random jobs.

For a few weeks, he’s a substitute teacher. But when he ends up with high school kids more often than elementary school kids, he stops. The bitterness of high school kids is draining.

For a few months- nearly a year actually, he works at a daycare center. He loves it there. But of course, the place has a fire about 11 months into him working there and the place burns to the ground. Fortunately, the fire was during the weekend, so no kids were there to be harmed.

He’s then a teacher’s assistant, and that goes pretty well… then the school year ends and he’s left alone during the summer; his first camp-free-summer for pretty much his entire life. 

And since he liked the school setting so much, he goes back to school to get a teaching degree for elementary students. 

That ends up working out, and he balances odd jobs and school for a few years before he graduates. 

The day that he lands his first job at a nearby elementary school as a second grade teacher, he feels the happiest he’s felt since the camp closed.

 

\---------------------

 

“There’s a blue streak on your face.” Gwen drawls as she sits down across from David in a coffee shop downtown.  

David laughs a bit and he tries to wipe it off. But it’s marker, and it won’t easily come off.

“One of my kids thought it’d be funny to throw markers,” David says, and Gwen rolls her eyes.

“You’ve got to stop calling them your  _ kids  _ David. It’s creepy.” 

David brushes off her negative comment with a smile.

Halfway through David’s return to school, he ran into Gwen. Gwen had gotten a job at a nearby university, something about teaching or tutoring… David wasn’t told the specifics. 

But since they ran into each other, David and Gwen get together every so often to talk and catch up.

“They’re my kids, I’m in charge of them.” David shrugs, taking a sip of tea. 

Gwen makes some noncommittal noise, also taking a sip of her drink. She ordered some strong coffee and had added way too much sugar to it.

“You’re in charge for eight hours on Mondays through Fridays.” Gwen counters. “You’re allowed to call them your ‘kids’ if you’re their legal guardian.” 

It’s Gwen who gets the ball rolling on the idea of ‘foster parenting’. She gets the ball rolling because for the next few weeks, David thinks over the idea of legally taking care of a child. The more that he thinks about it, the more excited he gets. He could  _ have a child _ , a child that he could make happy and spoil and love. 

He’s over the moon with the idea, thanks to Gwen.

 

\---------------------

 

“I’ve decided to be a foster parent.” 

That’s how David greets Gwen two weeks later. Gwen hasn’t even sat down yet (since David is  _ always  _ punctual).

“Not even a hello.” Gwen sighs. She takes a big gulp of her coffee, then decides to ask further questions. “Where the hell did this come from David?”

“It came from you!” He beams, as cheerful as ever despite Gwen’s constant bitterness. 

“You said that my  _ students  _ aren’t my kids because I’m not their legal guardian.” David continues. “And that got me thinking about being a foster parent. I love kids and I’ve felt like my apartment is too empty-”

“Maybe you should get a dog.” Gwen cuts in.

“Gwen, you know my complex doesn’t allow pets.” David has  _ definitely  _ thought about getting a dog. “But I think becoming a foster parent would be cool! It would be just like camp!”

Gwen sighs again. “This isn’t like camp David. It’s been five years, and fostering kids is much more serious than pretty much babysitting kids for an entire summer.” 

David doesn’t say anything, but he’s got a massive grin on. Gwen knows that nothing she has just said has any affect on David. After working with him for a few summers and then being friends, she knows that once David has made up his mind, there’s no changing it.

“Fine,” she sighs heavily. David will be the death of her. “Are you sure? This isn’t something you can take back.” 

If this was camp, David would make an example out of Gwen. He would teach the campers that this is a life lesson, when you have to be there and be supportive for your friends. And possibly a lesson on how Gwen has grown as a person, and has stopped being so bitter.

“I’m positive.” David nods with some sense of finality.

 

\---------------------

 

It is a  _ process  _ to foster a child. 

There’s so much paperwork and background checks and house checks and all sorts of other small stuff. It’s god-awful boring.

Yet, David remains bubbly and optimistic. Just a few days ago, he received a date. In less than one week, he would be picking up his new son; a 15 year old boy who lost his parents about a year ago, and was in need of a good home. 

David was over the freakin’ moon- cleaning up his apartment, preparing the empty bedroom, and gathering up all sorts of recipes so he could make his new son some nice home cooked meals. 

He was excited; leaving the bedroom empty of everything besides a basic bed frame painted white. His foster child would get complete control over how the room was decorated and what clothes were bought. 

David had even called Gwen, practically yelling in excitement about how ‘in less than one week I’ll be a parent!’. Gwen had smiled, even though David couldn’t see. She was excited too, and she promised that after things got settled she’d come over for dinner. 

 

On the day that David would pick up his foster child, he gave himself a pep-talk. 

He sat in his car, ten minutes early, wringing his hands together and murmuring positive stuff. He’d be a good parent, his foster child would like him, his foster child would be nice, his foster child would love nature and camping as much as he did, he would be the perfect dad… 

He finally sighed, looking up at the building. On the second floor was the foster care office, and he was due to be up there in five minutes.

Licking his lips, he stepped out of the car and headed inside. 

He had prepared all day for this- taking a long shower after he woke up, dressing in a nice pair of jeans and a button up, combing down his hair in attempts to tame it, and making sure he smelled clean and looked nice and presentable.

The elevator softly dings and the doors slide open. His hands are shaking as he steps into the hallway. He doesn’t know if it’s fear or excitement that’s making them shake.

The secretary greets him nicely when he steps into the office, and directs him to sit down until he’s called in. 

It’s another few minutes. David has to hold down the urge to stand up and pace. His nerves and his excitement are colliding into an awful mixture. He hates sitting still when he’s nervous. He wants to walk around and do  _ something _ .

Fortunately, it’s just him and the secretary in the waiting room. 

“David?” 

David looks up from his hands, and he sees the little blonde lady that he’s met with many times before. She’s smiling sincerely, and David smiles too as he bounds up out of his chair and to her side.

They turn, walking down another long hall.

“So are you excited?” Her voice is soft and calming.

“I’m so excited,” David can barely contain his excitement. “I love kids and this is just so exciti-”

David stops. The office door is opened, and his foster child looks up at him from inside. His stomach drops. 

He could pick out those eyes from anywhere; deep green and horribly judgemental. A near constant frown, and a look complete bitterness. 

_ Max _ .

He hasn’t seen Max in five years, the second to last summer at Camp Campbell. Max looks definitely older. He’s taller, but still wiry. He’s still got bitterness in his eyes and an uncaring expression. 

And Max recognizes David immediately, because the only thing that has changed in David is what he’s wearing. The camp counselor uniform has been traded out for a nice pair of dark jeans, a plaid-light-blue button up, and mud-caked hiking boots have been traded out with tennis shoes.

David looks exactly the same, and so does Max.

“Well, shit, they’ll let anyone be a parent nowadays, won’t they?” Max sneers, and David doesn’t know how to respond.  _ Max _ , this is  _ Max _ .

“How about I give you two a moment to talk?” The lady  _ clearly  _ picks up on the tension in the room, and she fortunately gives them a moment alone.

The door shuts behind David, and he sinks into the desk chair that’s next to Max’s.

“Max…” David doesn’t know what to say. “How… have you been?”

Max snorts. “ _ Clearly _ , I’ve had better days.”

David holds in a sigh or a scold. That was a pretty dumb question.

“I meant, what’s happened since you left camp?”

“For one thing, my parents are dead, and now I’m here with  _ you _ .” Teenage Max is just as snarky, if not even more snarky than Max from five years ago.

“I’m not that bad Max.” David shakes his head. “There are worse foster parents you could’ve ended up with. Please, give me a shot Max.”

Max sighs very heavily; the type of sigh that moves his whole upper body.

“I really want to make things better for you… I really liked that summer that you and Neil and Nikki were at camp. It was one of my favorite summers.”

“This isn’t camp David.” Max murmurs. He sounds exactly like Gwen.

“I know it’s not camp.” David pauses. “But this could really be fun!”

Max doesn’t say anything for a minute, then he runs a hand through his hair. It’s still long and messy, just like five years ago.

“Fine.” Max states, and David’s grin is back.

“But if you fuck up, I’m running away.” 

But that’s still a yes in David’s book, and he’s utterly ecstatic. 

“Oh Max! This is going to be so awesome!” David cheers, and he tosses his hands up in the air. Max groans, and leans forward in the chair.

“What have I fucking agreed to?” He hisses under his breath.

David starts to ramble, going on about what they can do together, and how Max can decorate his room however he wants to, and how  _ awesome  _ this is going to be.

(Max won’t admit it, but he’s actually glad to see a familiar face in this whole mess, even if it is David.)

 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure if I liked this 100%, but there's not really another way I could've written this fic! So here ya go, and I hope you liked it c: (I'm trying to write for different things. And by different things I mean different RT shows.)  
> But there's going to be more to this series. I have a small list of things I could write about, and I'll get around to them (hopefully) soon! Hit me up on [tumblr](http://geoffs-8-greatest-mistakes.tumblr.com/) so you can suggest things for me to write!


End file.
